by S M Mala
She was going to stop herself falling in love with him.
Scottie wasn’t quite sure what he was feeling.
She walked backed in, wrapped in towel.
‘How will you stop falling in love?’ Scottie frowned.
‘We’ll see each other as little as possible, not get our families involved, and watch it disintegrate like I said. Keep it very casual until we call it a day.’
He wasn’t quite sure how he managed to leap to his feet, but he stood in front of her. She seemed a little startled.
‘You’re saying you have no feelings for me? Is that what you mean?’ he asked, knowing he was sounding arsy. ‘That’s fine but you might as tell me now, so I know.’
‘You’re the one talking about ‘love’ and saying you don’t want any part of it. I’m just agreeing. That’s what people do when they don’t want to argue,’ Ruby replied gently. ‘I’m being very honest. You should know what I’m like.’
‘If I wanted to fall in love with you, would you fall in love with me?’
His heart was beating so fast because, in all honesty, he didn’t know what he was saying and why. The idea she might not even ever reciprocate his feelings, though his were truly hidden, hurt him.
Ruby smiled. It was both sympathetic and warm.
‘If I was to fall in love with anyone, then I’d fall in love with you. But as you can’t fall in love with me then I won’t go through the angst of rejection and pain. I’ve been through that before and I didn’t like it. Do you understand?’
Scottie stood there, looking at her, knowing he wasn’t acting in a usual calm manner. He went to open his mouth to say something and said the first thing that came into his head.
‘I’m falling in love with you. It’s happening without my consent and I don’t want to feel like this right now.’
Her howl of laughter shocked him as he stood there confused.
‘You think I’m being funny?’ he asked, feeling his confidence plummet.
‘I think when you fall in love, your consent isn’t needed. It’s an emotional thing that happens slowly or suddenly or both,’ she said, trying to stop laughing. ‘I’ve fallen desperately in love with you. Does that help?’
He was stumped.
This was exactly what he didn’t want to happen.
But he felt bloody ecstatic!
Twenty one
‘Good cop or bad cop?’ she asked as he drove her home the following morning. ‘You were a very naughty cop a few hours ago.’
Ruby sighed, remembering their love making first thing and how he woke her up. Since their admissions, they’d not kept their hands off each other.
The pair had hardly slept.
‘We’re to take this very slowly,’ he said gravely for the umpteenth time. ‘I don’t want to rush into it to find out it’s a mistake.’
‘I totally agree,’ she sighed once again and stroked his hair. ‘Is this how comes you have several baby mothers and a whole spectrum of women probably scattered about, PC Plod? You declare your love within a matter of weeks?’
‘I try not to say anything until the first year,’ he seriously replied. ‘Complicates things and by then, you know you’re serious.’
‘Oh!’ Ruby sat up straight. ‘I thought you were the sort of guy that easily fell in and out of love, hence me.’
‘I’m the sort of guy who refuses to fall in love and what about you? Do you fall easily?’
‘When I fall, it’s usually quite hard and has only happened once before in my life. I married the fucker.’
‘How long were you with him?’
‘We got together when I was twenty seven. I could have got divorced quicker but Hugh was dragging his heels because he didn’t want to split. He committed adultery and there was no turning back.’ She shrugged for a moment. ‘I was in love with him for a long time. I agree to take it slowly. Maybe in a year we’ll meet each other’s families and kids,’ Ruby said quietly, stroking his arm. Scottie glanced at her. ‘Then at least you’d have got used to going out with a Samaritan, that’s unless I get sacked.’
‘I didn’t think you could get sacked if you volunteer!’ he laughed out.
‘You’d be surprised. I keep getting shafted by this bloke called Mick. He hates me because I get paid to write for a problem page. Just because he did a one week course in counselling, he thinks he can tell me what to do.’
‘Didn’t you do a course?’
‘I did a course, I am trained but…’ she hesitated for a moment. ‘I can’t spout all that bollocks to people and seriously think I’m helping. Sometimes I want to tell them the truth but I can’t. We have to listen and support.’
‘I thought the whole idea was to be a friend to people in need?’ Scottie said, turning to look at her. ‘I’ve always been led to believe you’re the last hope, that’s why people turn to you.’
‘Diane says I’m ‘no hope’ because I keep slipping up. She calls it my ‘honest observations’ but when she’s pissed she then says it’s ‘Bad Advice’, which it isn’t. It’s the truth,’ she sighed. Scottie started to laugh again. ‘Five years I’ve been a volunteer and I’m still on probation.’
She grinned on hearing him laugh louder.
‘You’re not a good Samaritan then?’ he said, trying to compose himself.
‘Put it this way, I bet you’re a good cop compared to me.’
He pulled over and stopped the car, suddenly looking very serious.
‘I’m not your average bobby,’ Scottie said, staring hard. ‘I don’t walk the beat.’
‘You’re a lazy copper then. But looking like that I’m not surprised. You’d get women jumping all over you if you walked in your uniform down the road,’ she smiled and noticed he was starting to smirk. ‘I was joking. I did do my research, golden boy.’
‘I work on serious crime.’
‘All crime is serious,’ Ruby replied, tongue in cheek. ‘That’s why we have the police and a fine job nearly all of them do.’
‘I’m a Commander in the Metropolitan Police but I prefer to work on cases, solving problematic ones. I’m not the normal run of the mill police officer and that’s how I like it.’
Ruby closed her eyes for a moment and swallowed hard.
‘I know,’ she shrugged, letting out a deep sigh. ‘You’re pretty young to have that title and it’s a bit of a responsibility. You must be smarter than you look or a better policeman. Which one is it?’
‘Are you sure you’re not bothered by all this?’ asked Scottie with a deep frown.
‘It makes me worried you’d get hurt but I take it you’re a pen pusher?’ Ruby said softly, leaning forward to kiss his nose. ‘I like pen pushers.’
‘And there’s something else but I can’t tell you as I’m sworn to secrecy.’
‘I’m not a terrorist. I know sometimes my top lip might get a little hairy but the laser clinic told me there was nothing left,’ she said, touching under her nose. ‘All us brown people ain’t potential bombers, you know.’
‘Not funny,’ he said, kissing her gently on the lips.
Her stomach was somersaulting. She didn’t want to say goodbye. Gently she pulled her lips away from his, still very close to his face.
‘Whatever secret you have, I don’t mind, as long as it’s nothing to do with corruption, sexism or racism. If you’re happy, that’s what matters.’
She walked into her home followed by Scottie. The next thing she knew, he’d wrapped his arms around her waist and was walking her towards an armchair.
‘What are you doing?’ Ruby laughed, feeling his chin on her head.
‘Nothing,’ he sighed, his lips moving towards her neck.
Leaning her head to the side, she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation on her skin. Then his hand manoeuvred towards her breasts as he pushed down the front of her top, gently squeezing her nipple.
‘You’ll be late for work. What are you up to?’
‘I want to be up you,’ he laughed.<
br />
‘Naughty little cop.’
He started undoing her jeans with his other hand and was failing fast. Quickly she turned around and undid the button of his fly while he pushed her jeans down. Scottie kissed her hard, his tongue touching hers, while he pulled off her top. She then removed his t-shirt, inhaling his gorgeous scent.
She was spun around and pushed forward. Ruby held onto the armchair. Suddenly she got a shock. His hand came from behind and between her legs as he gently stroked her. His other hand squeezed her breast while his mouth traced the back of her neck.
‘Oh god,’ she groaned, feeling close.
His fingers worked slowly, teasing her, the tautness in her thighs building up.
Ruby had to lean forward, holding onto the chair. She felt a womb busting orgasm rocket through her as his head was next to hers
Then she felt him start to edge his way inside while squeezing her breasts.
‘Yes!’ he groaned, ramming her hard.
She held on to the armchair for dear life.
Ruby yelled out when another fanny busting orgasm ripped through her. She could just about stand up, her knees starting to buckle as Scottie quickly humped her.
Then he literally gulped his groaning into her hair. He flopped on top, pinning her down. Both their bodies shook for a moment.
‘I have to stop this,’ he panted. ‘My prick is so sore.’
‘So is my fanny.’
He pulled out and swivelled her around, planting a long kiss on her lips.
‘What time’s your son coming home?’ Scottie asked, pushing her back so he could suck her nipples.
Ruby was trying hard to focus on her watch.
‘His dad’s taking him to school and I have to leave here at three to pick him up. Why?’
‘Shall we call in sick today?’
‘Bad, bad, wonderful, cop!’
Twenty two
‘Are you listening to me?’ Sebastian asked on the other end of the phone. ‘You have to come and bring that new lady of yours, who you’ve fallen in love with against you consent. You’re a jackass and told her that? I’m surprised she didn’t dump you on the spot.’
‘Yes, I know,’ replied Scottie, blushing at the memory.
He was sat in his office after yet another dull meeting regarding his new role. This time it was all about budgets and he wondered what he was doing.
‘I don’t think I’m cut out for this. It’s all so boring. Paperwork and-.’
‘It’s what happens when you move up the ranks. What did you expect? For them to give you a car and let you gallivant around London like ‘The Sweeney’?’
‘As long as I’m driving, that’s fine.’ Then Helen Trott walked in and he had to end his call. ‘Yes, of course I’ll attend the meeting. See you then.’
‘And get me some Cuban cigars for a present but don’t tell Gemma.’
He hung up and noticed Helen Trott was smiling.
‘Scottie can I have a word?’ she asked. He grimaced. ‘It’s nothing serious. We need to pick your brains.’
‘About what?’
‘Your talent has been in solving some very problematic cases but something has come to light that needs to be handled delicately. Can you come to my office in half an hour so I can brief you? We’ve become aware of a similarity …’ she began.
Twenty three
‘Are you sure? Seriously?’ Ruby asked. Diane closed her office door and sat back down. ‘How did you find out?’
‘I got a call this morning and they think it’s rather odd,’ replied Diane, dunking her biscuit into her tea. ‘A couple of people killed in their own homes who worked at the Samaritans.’
‘To be honest, sometimes after listening to this lot giving advice, I can understand why they’d want to snuff them out,’ she replied while Diane frowned.
‘Maybe it’s a coincidence?’
‘You think?’
‘It’s awful. They won’t tell me the names. It could be someone we know from any one of the London branches and what if it’s much darker?’
‘What do you mean ‘darker’? How much darker can you get than trying to bump off us goodie two shoes?’
‘A serial killer intent on killing Samaritans only?’
‘I’d help him,’ she said, flashing a dirty look over at Mick. ‘I know who’d be first on my list.’
‘Ruby!’ Diane huffed. ‘You know what he’s like.’
‘He’s a bloody bully and wants me to leave.’
‘And if you did, what else would you do?’ laughed out Diane for a second then reverting back to her miserable expression.
Instantly Ruby thought she’d be in bed with Scottie if she had more free time, but tried not to smile so put her hand over her face.
‘Diane, I’ve never heard of anyone who worked on helplines getting killed. That’s just a little weird. Could be just a fluke, you know.’
‘Head office called and they don’t think so. I hope it wasn’t any one of our guys who used to work here,’ Diane said, shaking her head. ‘That would simply break my heart.’
‘I met some of them,’ she mumbled. ‘It wouldn’t break mine.’
They sat in the meeting room at the branch.
Edmund looked physically shaken when Diane told them the news. At one point Ruby thought he was going to cry, so handed him some tissues. He was quite young and had yet to develop a tough skin even though he had recently come out as gay.
Gary, Mick, Chonika and Annette sat there in silence.
‘So what’s it got to do with us?’ came Mick’s disgruntled reply, tapping his rotund stomach, throwing Ruby yet another dirty glance. ‘You can’t seriously think there’s someone trying to kill us?’
‘No one’s saying that but I wanted to check to see if everyone was okay,’ Diane calmly replied. ‘We don’t want the papers to get hold of this and start putting two and two together then coming up with ten. We need to keep it under wraps for the time being.’ Ruby looked away as her friend flicked a warning glance. ‘And please don’t mention this to anyone.’
‘What do they expect us to do?’ asked Annette, today her ponytails tied quite loosely so she had ringlets either side of her head, making her look like an overgrown geriatric three year old. ‘Surely we can’t suddenly turn our backs on the job based on two deaths. We’re here to support and that’s what we do.’
‘Murders!’ said Chonika, looking annoyed, her brown cheeks getting shinier by the second. She was a pretty young woman, large as Mick, who was training to be a social worker. ‘Gives me the creeps.’
‘Hey guys,’ Gary said, in his softly spoken Cardiff accent, flicking back his straight ponytail. ‘Let’s not turn on ourselves. I’m sure there’s an explanation for everything. We all do a wonderful job. We care and it shows. We need to stick together and I’m sure there’s a plausible reason.’
‘Yeah, of course there is,’ sniffed Chonika. ‘Some nutter wants to snuff us out.’
‘And don’t you go speaking to your mates at that rag you work at,’ growled Mick at Ruby.
‘She wouldn’t do that!’ Annette said defensively. ‘Ruby’s a professional.’
‘Sure she is,’ he said sarcastically.
‘Why don’t you fuck off?’ Ruby blurted out.
‘Ruby!’ shouted Diane. ‘Language!’
‘Sorry,’ she mumbled. ‘Why don’t you fuck right off?’
‘Don’t you dare swear at me!’ barked back Mick. ‘You’re so up your own arse!’
‘Well, your backside is large enough, all of us can fit in there!’ she replied with a grin.
Annette and Chonika started to laugh while Gary shook his head in dismay. Edmund was still teary eyed while Diane put her head in her hands. Mick stood up and walked off in a huff.
‘See,’ Ruby said softly, looking at his backside wobbling away.
After leaving the office, she walked home. Around and around she wondered if it was a coincidence or there was something more feasible about killi
ng Samaritans.
Right then, she could have easily done the same to Mick.
Ruby’s little mind was ticking over that the police knew something more and had found a link, hence the warning. She pondered about calling Scottie but figured he wouldn’t be involved in something like that, considering he was important.
Then she thought of Hugh but knew if she asked him, it would land her in big shit if he had no idea.
It didn’t make sense unless there was a link.
And Ruby was going to find it.
In the back of her head, it might be the thing she needed to get back into being a journalist, if ever her talent was allowed to surface again.
Twenty four
‘It’s odd,’ Scottie said sitting with a colleague, Dave Wilson, who he had known forever.
He’d been allowed to go to another station to work on the investigation, which he was relieved to do, finding head office a bit claustrophobic.
‘What’s odd is you being asked to help out,’ Dave said with a wry grin. ‘I thought all you did was go to meetings and lunches. I still see they’ve failed to put you in a suit.’
‘Very funny,’ he laughed, leaning forward.
‘These murders are done by the same person but there’s no breaking in or anything. The victims knew the person or persons and let them in.’
‘Well, whoever it is, didn’t want anyone to suffer. It was done with an injection of insulin mixed with a very strong anaesthetic to make them sleep. The body would slowly stop within twenty four hours or sooner.’
‘Do you think they knew they were being injected?’
‘Who knows? But the killer was making a point.’
He examined the pictures of the people and the words written ‘Bad Advice’ in eyeliner on their lips. The whole thing was very odd and, with only two murders, he suspected there would be more.
‘What’s it like to come back to a normal station?’ Dave asked quietly.
Scottie glanced at his friend’s shiny bald head then grinned.
‘Nicer pubs.’
‘What’s wrong mate? Or shall I call you Commander?’
‘Scottie’s fine,’ he sighed, knowing Dave was going to try and wind him up.